‘At the End of the Day’—Bruno Fernandes Says Simple Tweak Has Changed Man Utd

Results have been revolutionized since Michael Carrick returned to Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes revealed insight into the Michael Carrick era. | James Gill/Danehouse/Catherine Ivill/Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Bruno Fernandes has suggested Michael Carrick’s Manchester United success with the same squad Ruben Amorim was working with is down to the change in formation and using different players.

United were sixth in the Premier League when Amorim was dismissed in early January, only three points outside the top four but 11 behind Aston Villa in third.

It wasn’t the historically poor season the Portuguese had overseen in 2024–25, but consistency was still proving elusive and United had only won eight of 20 league matches. In contrast, Carrick has won seven of his first 10 and the Red Devils have climbed to third, with a buffer back to fifth and sixth.

Changing the Staple Amorim Formation

Fernandes (left) had to adjust to Amorim’s tactics. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

“He changed some players, the positions of some players, you try different formations and at the end of the day you start scoring goals,” Fernandes told Men in Blazers.

Amorim had been wedded to the 3-4-1-2 system that had underpinned his first in a generation success at Sporting CP, and deployed Fernandes as a central midfielder. Caretaker Darren Fletcher dispensed with the tactics and Carrick maintained a return to a more familiar 4-2-3-1 better suited to the players at hand. He also immediately brought back Kobbie Mainoo, who hadn’t started a Premier League match in the first half of the season, allowing Fernandes to return to the No. 10 role.

It seemed such a simple tweak and the captain has been vastly more productive higher up the pitch, so much so that his accelerated assist output could soon break the Premier League’s single-season record—it currently stands at 20, Fernandes has 16.

“In terms of creating chances we were near the top when Ruben was here but we were not finishing that and then we were probably one of the best teams at not allowing teams in our box but when we did we would concede more goals,” he added.

Carrick has also brought a greater level of defensive resilience, which has seen United able to grind out the kind of narrow wins that proved close to impossible under Amorim.

“We started to be more compact when we have to defend and understand we have moments when we have to suffer when we’re not in an excellent moment, let’s say,” Fernandes offered.

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De Gea Highlights Key Carrick Attribute

David de Gea spoke about his former teammate. | Alex Davidson/UEFA/Getty Images

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea was asked this week for his opinion on Carrick’s impact, having been in England with Fiorentina for the quarterfinal first leg of the UEFA Conference League against Crystal Palace—La Viola lost 3–0 in south London.

De Gea knows Carrick as both a teammate (2011–2018) and coach (2018–2021) and appeared to give an insight into how he has managed to get more out of the same group his predecessor was managing—it comes down to first-hand experience of what it’s like being a United player, and the pressures and scrutiny that go with that. In contrast, Amorim’s playing career as a rotation option in Portugal, while Erik ten Hag only really knew Dutch soccer.

“He’s doing unbelievable,” De Gea told TNT Sports. “He’s a great guy … he knows how the players feel, so it’s easy to talk with him.

“He’s doing an amazing job, United is winning a lot of games now. They’re playing well and hopefully they can get the Champions League spot, and keep growing. Let’s see United again in the high positions and fighting for trophies.”

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Fernandes ‘at Home’ in Manchester

Fernandes joined Man Utd in 2020. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Since United’s form began improving, speculation about Fernandes’s future at the club has faded. The 31-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia as recently as last summer and was seemingly prepared to go if he felt the club wanted to make that change.

His most recent contract was signed in 2024 and runs to the end of next season, with the option for a further 12 months—if triggered to push to 2028, he would be nearing his 33rd birthday when it ends.

Given how things have progressed, there still appears little desire on his part to go anywhere else.

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Bruno Fernandes 2025–26 Premier League Stats

Fernandes’s Premier League numbers are impressive. | FotMob

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Fernandes was asked during his Men in Blazers appearance about living in Manchester, having been settled in the north west of England longe than anywhere else in his pro career to date.

“When you’re so long in a place, you feel part of it,” he said. “Obviously, I’m very proud of [Portugal] and I love my country, but I feel at home in Manchester. My kids feel at home here, so it’s wonderful to be in a place where my kids can enjoy so much and feel as much at home as they do in Manchester.

“I felt Mancunian until I heard my kids speaking with the accent and understand I’m not as much as they are.”

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